Somewhere in Germany

That's the by-line my great-grandfather's cousin included in many of his letters written during World War II.

His name was William M. Stokes, Jr., and he was quite a fellow.

At least, that's what I'm learning from the collection of transcribed letters forwarded to me by his daughter Wayne S. Goodall of North Carolina.

I have to admit, the history of the 2nd World War has never captured my fascination like the Civil War or the Revolutionary War. But, these letters are changing that.

After the war, Cousin Stokes continued his career in the U.S. Army, and rose to the rank of Major General. He then served on the board of governors at VMI, and helped establish the George C. Marshall Foundation.

Check-out the latter organization's web presence at:

http://www.marshallfoundation.org/manuscripts.html